The Hiding
by Alassea
Summary: Romance, Horror, Quidditch, Voldemort, Jealousy, Prejudice, Dangerous Oaths...pretty much everything included! Enjoy! =D
1. Chapter 1: Escape, Dreams and Letters

The girl kept running. Her long, dark hair was flying out behind her, and her breathing was ragged and came in short, terrified gasps. She stumbled on a tree root and fell sprawling to the ground, her usually thick, luxurious hair falling in limp strands onto her face. She looked around wildly before picking herself up and struggling on.

Her legs ached with strain and exhaustion.

Inside her mind thoughts whirled faster than a tornado, as she fought to keep striving onwards towards – towards what? She didn't know where she was. She had used a Portkey to get to the now dark forest earlier tonight. All she knew was that when she saw His face, she couldn't go through with the initiation. She could never become a Death Eater like her father. She had screamed and fled into the trees, dodging the curses thrown at her by the Death Eaters. But now she had left their angry cries and the high-pitched hiss of the Dark Lord, and was alone in the world, running to an unseen destination.

Finally, her legs refused to hold up any longer, and she flopped, defeated, under a tree. "Father must want to kill me now," she thought bitterly, but then her mind was taken back to a happier time, when her mother was still alive. Pictures flitted in and out; a day trip to the seaside with her parents; splashing in the warm waters of the Mediterranean; the hot sun smiling down on the small village near Marseilles, France, that was her home.

Home.

She wondered if she would ever see the village again, or the manor house where she had lived for four and a half years. Suddenly, the image was gone, and the stern face of her father appeared in her mind, and his secret meetings with the Death Eaters, devising their cruel plans to rid the world of "Muggle scum." She stirred, the disturbing memories making her heart beat faster once more, but eventually, she fell into a restless sleep as exhaustion took over.

xXx

She woke to the sound of a twig snapping nearby, accompanied by a low growl, and she sat up sharply, confused for a moment as to where she was, until her protesting muscles gave her a painful reminder. She stood slowly, wand in hand, straining her ears to where the sound had come from. She inched around the trunk of the large tree she had been resting against, and came face to face with two narrowed glowing yellow eyes, set in a huge, dark, growling shadow.

"Stu, Stu, Stupe…" she stuttered, raising her wand with a shaking arm, but the wolf pounced, and she was knocked to the ground. Sharp teeth sunk into her leg as if it were butter, and a spasm of pain convulsed her body. The already shadowy canopy and glinting full moon darkened to blackness above her head. In some semi-conscious part of her brain she fancied she saw a light in the trees, and a male voice uttering a spell she didn't recognise, but the images quickly gave way to nothing, and she knew no more.

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Nearly a thousand miles away, Harry Potter was having another nightmare.

He lay on damp grass, still holding the Triwizard Cup. He turned his head to see a beautiful girl with long dark hair holding the other handle. She was apparently unconscious.

He moved to check if she was OK, when a high-pitched voice hissed,

"Kill the spare."

"Nooo!" Harry cried and threw himself over her body. He saw her large brown eyes fly open in surprise before rough hands shoved him aside. He looked up, only to see Voldemort and a tall Death Eater standing over the girl. He whipped out his wand, and tried to scramble to his feet, but the strong hands held him down, and forced the wand from his grasp.

He heard the girl whisper, "Father, please…don't…" but there was a flash of blinding green light, and when Harry looked up again, she lay there, eyes wide open, a single tear trickling down her pale cheek. She was dead.

Harry screamed as unthinkable pain exploded in his scar and surged through his body in a wave of terrible agony. Blindly, he reached out to her, but suddenly he was falling. All around him faces appeared, faces he knew and cared for – Ron and his family, Hermione, Professor Dumbledore, Cho, Sirius, his parents…But on all their faces he saw looks of utter disappointment, and heard their voices in his head saying "It's your fault she's dead Harry, your fault." He put his hands to his ears, crying "No, no!" but he couldn't block out the sound. Then his parents' faces came closer than all the others, and he saw that his mother was crying.

"Harry – how could you?" she asked, and wept on James' shoulder.  

Harry looked into his father's eyes, and saw no emotion there, just emptiness. "You are not my son." He stated in a flat voice. Then Harry's tears blurred his vision, and the world turned to black.

xXx

The Boy who Lived woke up on his bedroom floor in a cold sweat, his scar still aching dully. Hedwig hooted at him softly as he fumbled for his glasses. Shakily getting to his feet, he mopped the sweat and tears from his brow, and waited for his breathing to return to normal. Then he moved over to his tiny desk, sat down and reached for a quill and some parchment.

            _Dear Professor Dumbledore, _he began in his messy hand. After thinking for a moment, he continued.

_            I just dreamt again about Voldemort, but this time there was a dark haired girl with brown eyes who I didn't recognise there instead of Cedric, and the Death Eater who killed her was her father. My parents were there too, and Ron and Hermione and everyone, and they blamed me for her death. The pain in my scar was worse this time a swell. I don't know if these changes mean anything, so I thought I should tell you._

_                        From Harry_

Hethen picked up a second piece of parchment and wrote:

_            Dear Snuffles,_

_More nightmares. Getting worse. Am going to Ron's tomorrow so should be OK. Hope you are safe, and try not to worry about me too much!_

_                        Love, Harry._

He rolled both pieces of parchment up and crossed the room to Hedwig's cage. She obediently stuck out her leg for him, and he tied both scrolls to it. "Let Dumbledore read both letters first, then take Sirius' to him please. I'll be at the Weasley's when you get back." Harry whispered while giving her an Owl Treat, thinking that Dumbledore should probably know just what he was writing to his godfather. Hedwig nipped his finger affectionately, before soaring through the window Harry held open for her. He watched her glide silently into the night before closing the window and going over to check he had everything packed in his trunk for the hundredth time.

Finally satisfied, Harry started to get back into bed when he heard something small and soft bounce off the window outside. Startled, he hurried over, opened the window and looked down to see a happily hooting small pile of fluff in the gutter just below.

"Pig" he muttered, and lifted the tiny owl into the room. Once inside, Pig seemed immensely proud of himself and began flying round and round the light fixture, hooting non-stop.

"Shhh!" Harry hissed. "Do you want to wake every Dursley in the county?!" He plucked the bird from the air and held its beak closed with his fingers while he removed the note from its leg.

_            Hi Harry!_ read Ron's untidy scrawl.

_Just checking you're OK for tomorrow. We're picking you up at 9am sharp. Hope the Dursley's are treating you OK, and hope Pig arrives there before we do! Stupid bird doesn't know which way he's going half the time._

_            See you soon,_

_                        Ron._

Harry smiled and looked over at the owl that was drinking Hedwig's water, then at his Muggle alarm clock that showed 5:30am. "Looks like you just made it, Pig," Harry murmured, before going over to check his trunk one more time.


	2. Chapter 2: Explanations, Ice Cream and O...

Serena's large brown eyes slowly fluttered open, and the hazy world gradually focused to reveal her surroundings. The first thing she noticed was that everything was white, or worse, _magnolia,_ and a strong smell of disinfectant invaded her nostrils. She groaned. It must be the medical rooms at Beauxbatons, although it seemed strangely unfamiliar.

Bright sunlight filtered through a large window, hurting her eyes. She closed them, and wondered drowsily whether she had fallen off her brown while playing Quidditch, and how long she had been here. "I hope Nadine comes and rescues me soon before Madame Pasteur mollycoddles me to death," she thought, and allowed a small smile to form on her lips as the image of the friendly nurse's dumpy round face and sparkling eyes appeared in her mind.

She tried to sit up, and suddenly her eyes flew open, and she was wide awake as a spasm of pain shot through her leg, causing her to gasp and slump back down on the bed, breathing hard. Memories came flooding back. The dark forest, her father, Voldemort, the wolf…

Her father! She couldn't stay at Beauxbatons - that would be the first place he would look for her. She started to sit up again, trying to ignore the pain in her leg, when she heard footsteps outside, and unfamiliar voices.

"Severus, you're sure there's nothing you can do? She's just a girl-" said a woman's voice with a Scottish accent.

"Quite sure Minerva." Answered a male. "This is a burden she will have to carry for the rest of her life."

"She can't be more than 16…" the woman trailed off.

A different man said mournfully "It's my fault. I should have made sure Remus had taken his potion, it was right there for him, right there, I didn't even remind him…"

"Now now Sirius, it can't do any good to reflect on what we should have done, when there are things to do in the present," said a somewhat more cheerful, older wizard. "We may as well go in, something tells me she has already woken up."

Serena jumped at this, then wriggled under the covers, wondering what on earth could have happened to her, and why the voices were speaking English in France, although luckily, she had lived in England until she was 10, and was fluent in both languages.

The door to the room creaked open, and 3 wizards and a witch entered. The old wizard smiled. "Welcome to Hogwarts, Serena Silvan" 

Hogwarts? Yes of course, they hosted the Triwizard Tournament a few months ago, the tournament that heralded the return of Voldemort…but why was she here? She looked around at the faces staring at her. The old wizard had a white beard almost to his knees, and there was a twinkle in his wrinkled but intent eyes. The witch named Minerva was looking extremely worried, and one of the wizards stood a little apart from the other, and he wore a frown on his face as his black hair hung in greasy strands from his head. The other wizard stepped forward, his face young, but careworn, and he had a haggard look about him, as if he was suffering from a lack of sleep. Serena could see pain and guilt in his eyes as he spoke.

"Allow me to explain," he began softly. "My name is Sirius Black-"

Serena gasped and backed away. _This man was a murderer – and they let him into a school?!_

"No, please, I'm not – you don't understand…" he sighed. "Just hear me out, OK?"

Serena nodded dumbly. It wasn't like a convicted criminal was going to allow her to do anything else. He took a deep breath.

"My friend, Remus Lupin is a, uh, a werewolf. It is he that has bitten you."

Serena's eyes widened, but she remained silent.

"He was meant to take a potion to prevent him from changing on the full moon, but for some reason or other, he did not. I followed him into the forest, meaning to catch and restrain him, but I was too late to prevent him from attacking you…" He fell silent for a moment, before speaking again. "All I could do was to stun Remus temporarily, and Apparate us all here to Hogwarts, and Professor Dumbledore," he motioned to the older wizard. Serena was still dubious, but something in the man's voice and an honesty in his eyes made her soften towards him.

"Unfortunately, being bitten by a werewolf is no small matter," said the greasy haired man. I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but you also are now a werewolf."

Serena was thunderstruck. _A werewolf? They were creatures you learned about in Defence against the Dark Arts, not something that posed a real threat…_ It was some time before she realised that the wizard had stopped talking and the elderly witch had caught her in a tight hug. Serena automatically relaxed into the embrace, the way she used to with her mother…Tears stung her eyes, and she tried to fight them back, determined to be strong, but a large drop escaped and trickled down her cheek. It caught the sunlight as it fell from her chin to the pillow, landing with a barely audible _plip._

After several minutes of silence, Dumbledore finally spoke. "I understand this must be very difficult for you, but we hope to ease your suffering, even if only a little, by inviting you to attend Hogwarts this year. You see, we know much about you, as Professor Snape here is a spy for the Light Side among the Death Eaters, and he told us how your father and the Dark Lord would become threats to your life after your escape. We cannot guarantee that at Hogwarts you will be completely safe from all harm – ("after all, 3 first-years managed to find the Philosophers Stone" he thought inwardly) but at least your studies will not suffer, and we will certainly do our very best to protect you." He paused, before continuing. "Of course we cannot expect an immediate answer. We will leave you to rest, and come back later when you have had time to reflect upon your situation."

At that moment, a podgy witch that reminded Serena strongly of Matron Pasteur bustled into the room.

"Now Albus, I'll not have you harassing my patients while they are trying to recover. Oh, good morning dear, how is your leg?" she asked, smiling at Serena.

"Er-"

"Of course you'll be staying here for a few days, though it could be longer if _certain people refuse to leave," _She said, glaring at Dumbledore.

"Of course Poppy!" the old wizard chuckled. "We were about to do just that. Come, let us go and visit Remus in the next room. I expect he'll be wanting to know how Serena is." He winked at Serena and left the room, followed by Snape, Sirius, and lastly Minerva, who had finally released Serena from her embrace.

"Hmph," sniffed Madame Pomfrey, before feeding her a mouthful of foul tasting medicine and leaving also.

Serena was left alone with her thoughts. She knew Hogwarts was a safe place, considering the amount of times her father had come home in a tantrum after another failed operation to break into the school. Also, she had nowhere else to go – Beauxbatons and her home were out of the question, and she couldn't stay with Nadine and risk her life. She didn't really have a choice, she concluded, before merciful sleep took her.

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It felt good to be back at the Burrow. Harry could sleep in for as long as he wanted, there was as much food as he could eat, he could practice Quidditch without being seen by Muggles; but most of all, he was around people who cared for him. Mrs Weasley in particular seemed to spend all her time checking whether Harry was OK, and watched all his Quidditch practices fearfully, as if Voldemort himself was going to swoop down out of the sky and pluck Harry from his broom. There were no more nightmares, and Harry almost forgot his troubles as Ron beat him yet again at wizard chess, or he helped Ginny with her homework, or he polished his beloved Firebolt.

For his birthday, Mrs Weasley took everyone for ice cream at Florean Fortescue's in Diagon Alley as a special treat. Hermione met them there, and Harry felt truly happy for the first time in months, as he laughed and joked with his friends. Ron gave him the Quidditch Annual, Hermione a bumper pack of sugar quills ("They might persuade you to study for our OWL's"), Mrs Weasley yet another knitted jumper, and Fred and George a big box of their new sweets manufactured with Harry's Triwizard winnings.

"It's Super Sticky Bubblegum," grinned George.

"Yeah, blows huge bubbles, but if you might have a bit of trouble getting it off your face after it pops!" laughed Fred.

Harry laughed as well, and dug into his ice cream. The sun was shining, he couldn't think of a better way to celebrate his birthday, and soon he would be back at Hogwarts. Even his OWL's seemed a long way off, despite insistent reminders from Hermione. Yes, things definitely seemed to be looking up…

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"Please Master, this was totally unexpected-"

"Silence! Your daughter has wronged me, and you shall suffer the consequences."

"No Master, spare me! I have always been faithful. I will vow to find the brat and kill her before your face if you will be merciful to me."

"Yes, you have been faithful, though of course you could never measure up to Malfoy or Snape," the Dark Lord pondered. "I will accept your offer. But merciful? I am not merciful. Only the weak are merciful."

In an underground lair in the South of France, a man's screams of agony echoed through dark tunnels. Leonard Silvan was under the Cruciatus curse.


	3. Chapter 3: Sorting, Teacups and Cantabil...

Serena stood nervously outside the doors to the Great Hall, twisting her robes in her fists as a crowd of first years milled around her. It was her first evening as a student at Hogwarts, and she was about to be Sorted.

"This is stupid," she told herself sternly. "Most of these kids are half my height and they're much less nervous than me!" She shook herself, and looked around the impressive entrance hall as she tried to remember everything Professor McGonagall had told her a few days before.

xXx

"Of course, you can no longer go about under the name of Serena Silvan. Is there anything you would particularly like to be named while you are here?"

Serena thought for a moment. "Sîan," she said quietly. "My mother's name."

"Very well, you shall be called Sîan Phillips. You come from a Muggle background, and used to go to Gaultier's, a small French wizarding school. You left because you and your family believed you could get a better education here at Hogwarts."

She smiled slightly. "I'm sure you'll do excellently. You are a capable, independent girl, and well worthy of a place here. Good luck."

xXx

The sound of the huge double doors opening brought Serena swiftly back to the present. Taking a deep breath, she moved with the other first years down the centre aisle of the Great Hall, very aware of hundreds of pairs of curious eyes fixed on her. One pair of very green eyes caught her chocolate brown ones, and as she lifted her gaze she saw a lightning shaped scar partially covered by messy dark hair. She started, as she recognised who it was, but then a clumsy first year trod on the back of her robes and she stumbled slightly, breaking eye contact.

Her heart beat faster and faster as McGonagall read out the names on the list, and it seemed forever before she finally heard, "Sîan Phillips." She bit her lip, and forced her legs not to shake as she climbed a few steps and sat down as the Sorting Hat was placed on her head.

"Hmm, difficult, very difficult…" said a low voice in her ear. "You're determined, yes, very, and ambitious. You'd do very well in Slytherin. But you're also courageous, and true of heart, signs of a Gryffindor. 

"But what's this? You are not who you say you are…"

Serena stiffened.

"I know you. You're a Silvan. Yes, I placed your father in Slytherin. Yet perhaps in Gryffindor…no. Better be

SLYTHERIN!"

The Slytherin table exploded in cheers, and Serena, relieved, went and sat down. But all through the splendid feast that followed she could feel the intense green eyes of a certain Gryffindor boring into her back. A doubt gnawed at her, and she tried to push away the thought that maybe she should have been a Gryffindor, and should be sitting with the green eyed boy, and not the grey eyed blonde that had been speaking in earnest to her for the last 10 minutes. She suddenly realised she hadn't heard a word he had said, and sighed, before turning and asking him to repeat the question.

xXx

"Harry, what's wrong?" asked Hermione. "You've barely touched your food."

"Nah, he's just mad that that Sîan girl got placed in Slytherin. He fancies her - it's obvious. He hasn't taken his eyes off her since she walked in."

"No! Harry said quickly. "I mean, it's not that, Ron. She – she's the girl from my dream," he finished quietly.

Ron and Hermione stared at him in surprise.

"You mean the one who…um…" Ron trailed off.

Harry nodded.

"Well, what did Dumbledore say when you wrote to him?" asked Hermione.

"He just said to tell him if I had any more dreams about her." 

"Very helpful," muttered Ron.

"I wonder who she is…" Hermione mused.

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The day after the start of term, Sirius and Remus got ready to take their leave of Hogwarts, but a few hours before they were due, Dumbledore called them into his office.

"I have been doing a lot of thinking about you two since your uh, sudden arrival, and I have a proposition for you – for Remus, actually."

The two men leaned forward. Dumbledore rarely made propositions – unless it was that they all sat down for a cup of tea, of course.

"I trust you are both coming to the Order Meeting this Sunday? Tea?" The wizard conjured a teapot and began pouring the brown liquid into 3 teacups without waiting for an answer.

"The first one in fifteen years…"Remus reflected, taking his tea without question.

"Yes," answered Sirius slowly. "But something tells me you are getting off the topic." He smiled mischievously, picking up his own cup.

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "I see you still have some of your old sparkle, Sirius. But I admit you are quite right, I was getting slightly off the subject. What I was going to say was Remus – I do not believe that in all my years at this school, I have ever come across such an accomplished, attentive, and all round excellent Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. I must ask you to rethink your decision to resign."

"Albus-"

"Consider, Remus. You would be back in employment, earning a considerable amount of money. You would be able to help Serena, and offer support when she transforms on the full moon. You would be able to keep an eye on Harry for Sirius…"

Sirius, who had been leaning back in his chair, sipping his tea with mild interest, suddenly sat up straight and looked pointedly at Remus.

"Albus, you know full well that half the pupils parents would take their child out of school now they know I'm a werewolf," said Remus disbelievingly.

"I didn't say they would have to know it was you," stated Dumbledore, his face completely emotionless. Sirius began chuckling in amusement.

Remus smiled. "I suppose you've thought of this as well, but some of the students are very skilled at magic, and would see through a few Glamour Charms in a second."

"Which is why I have done a bit of research on your behalf, and found this spell." He handed the middle-aged wizard a small slip of parchment with a charm written on it. Remus pulled out his wand, studied the spell and chanted a string of strange words. Instantly, a good looking blonde haired wizard that looked remarkably like Gilderoy Lockhart was sitting in the chair. He gave them a dashing smile that showed a glint of pearly white teeth, before he disappeared, leaving Remus, who was giggling a little in spite of himself. Sirius' chuckle got louder, and he choked on his mouthful of tea. Dumbledore smiled, and put down his cup. "Yes, I remember you were always particularly talented at charms, Remus. However, I hope you will prove a better DADA teacher than Mr. Lockhart, and I would also advise you to choose a somewhat less – noticeable disguise."

"Sorry, it was the first thing that came into my head." Remus answered a little sheepishly.

"You're almost as bad as me!" laughed Sirius.

"I take it you accept then, Remus?"

"Of course Albus," he replied, shaking the Headmaster's hand.__

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"Urgh, I can't believe we have Potions with the Slytherins first," Ron growled under his breath as the three friends waited outside their dungeon classroom.

"If only I could give it up, the OWL's wouldn't be half so scary."

"I personally could not be happier if you gave up my class, Mr. Weasley."

Ron jumped, and looked up slowly to see the tall daunting figure of Professor Snape, robed as usual in sombre black. 

"Unfortunately, that is not possible. Five points from Gryffindor."

Ron scowled.

Harry, however, wasn't listening, but was staring at the New Girl who was speaking to Malfoy.  She was beautiful, he admitted to herself. His feelings for Cho Chang seemed to melt into the background, as Harry studied her glossy chestnut hair and long, curved eyelashes surrounding those sparkling brown eyes. Her skin was lightly tanned, and her body slender, perfectly complimenting her school robes. Why did she have to be in Slytherin, and therefore his automatic enemy?

He sighed, but suddenly, the crowd began to move into the classroom and Sîan's face was lost in the sea of bustling students.

xXx

"You are fully aware, I hope, that this is the final year before your OWL's. You are all required, therefore, to produce some project work that will be handed in along with your final exam. You will be working in pairs to make the Cantabilus Potion which will make even the most tone deaf of people sing like a nightingale for a few hours. You must also produce a written folio to accompany your practical. You will have until April to complete the project. I will now read the names of the pairs:

"Melvin Goyle with Parvati Patil, 

"Pansy Parkinson with Ronald Weasley," 

Ron groaned, and glared at Pansy, who sniffed and turned away.

"Jeff Crabbe with Lavender Brown,"

The list went on, and Harry anticipated that Snape would put him and Malfoy together as usual, just so he could have more opportunities to take points from Gryffindor.

"Draco Malfoy with Hermione Granger,"

Both Malfoy and Harry's mouths dropped open, and they looked at Hermione, who stared straight ahead, but Harry could see both her hands clenched into tight fists.

"Sîan Phillips with Harry Potter"

Harry's heart skipped a beat, and he looked over at the brunette, who gave him a small smile. He didn't hear anything else that Snape said, and spent the entire lesson staring at Sîan, but she never returned his glance.


	4. Chapter 4: Quidditch, Kisses and Collisi...

November came, and with it the start of the Quidditch season. Harry felt confident that Gryffindor could win their first match against Slytherin, as the whole team had practiced during the summer, and they had a talented new third year Keeper, as Oliver Wood had left the year before. Katie Bell was made the new captain though she suffered a lot of good-natured begrudging from Fred, George, Alicia and Angelina. Harry smiled as he changed into his Quidditch robes, and felt the adrenaline pump through him at the thought of the coming game.

He walked onto the pitch with the rest of the team a few minutes later, to the usual cheers from the crowd, but stopped dead in his tracks when he saw the Slytherin team. They had a new Chaser. And it was at Sîan.

He must have had an odd expression on his face, because she raised a delicate eyebrow, then winked at him before kicking off the ground and zooming into the sky. In just a few seconds she was no more than a dot in Harry's eyes. In spite of himself, he thought, "Hm, she'd make a good Seeker."

The game began and all Katie's new tactics accounted for nothing because of the speed and skill of the new Slytherin Chaser. The Quaffle seemed to stick to hands, and go exactly where she wanted it to with her making the smallest effort, and she avoided attacking Bludgers as if they were going in slow motion. Harry watched her in surprise and admiration, and even though she was playing for the other team, he almost wanted to cheer her on, just so he could catch her attention. 

"She must be part Veela or something," Harry thought to himself, but that thought was quashed when he realised that no one was jumping off the stands trying to impress her.

Veela or not, in just half an hour, Slytherin were leading Gryffindor 180 to 40, and the game looked to Harry to capture the Snitch and ensure a Gryffindor victory. Unfortunately, it was definitely not as easy as it seemed, as Malfoy trailed Harry round the pitch, not falling for any of his tricks, even his best Wronski Feint, and the Snitch was nowhere to be seen. Harry had been watching Sîan for some time, and so looked around for Malfoy, thinking to try one more Wronski Feint – but couldn't see him. He stared around wildly, before spotting him at the far end of the pitch, in a steep dive for something small and glittering gold… He swerved his Firebolt and sped towards him, urging the broom to its fastest ever speed.

"Come on, come on…" he muttered, as the crowd whizzed by him in a hazy blur. He was vaguely aware of Fred and George fending off Bludgers either side of him, but concentrated on the rapidly nearing Snitch.

Suddenly, just as he and Malfoy were exactly the same distance from their goal, he heard Fred yell, 

"Harry, look out!"

But before he could swerve, a Bludger smashed him full force in the side of his shin, swinging him off the broom until he was hanging upside down by an arm and a leg. He saw something glitter before his face, and snatched wildly at the air with his free hand, but at that moment, the Firebolt slammed into the stands. Harry lost his grip, and fell 20 feet to the ground.

xXx

He woke to the sensation of something vibrating in his hand, and slowly uncurled his fingers to reveal the Golden Snitch. He grinned weakly, and looked up into the face of…Malfoy.

"Morning Potter," he smirked

"Malfoy," Harry replied stonily.

"Just came over to thank you for winning Slytherin the game," he drawled casually.

"What?" Harry scrambled into a sitting position."

"While you were falling off your broom…again, Sîan here scored two more goals – meaning Slytherin win, 200 to 190."

Harry was speechless. They were beaten by _Slytherin? _He stared up into Malfoy's triumphant face – and saw Sîan come up behind him.

"Ah, here's our heroine right now," he drawled. "Have a nice day, Potter," and he walked off towards the rest of the Slytherin team, with his arm around Sîan's waist. She shot Harry a look over her shoulder that he thought was almost apologetic, but he was still too stunned to care. _I lost Gryffindor the game…"_He flopped back down, defeated, the Snitch still in his hand. Suddenly, he heard the sound of running feet, and a second later, his friends surrounded him, and he lost sight of Sîan and Malfoy in the bustle of Gryffindor supporters.

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Harry stormed down the corridors, his red Quidditch robes still flapping behind him. He ignored the large bruise on his shin and wiped a hot tear from his cheek, as his face burned red from shame. Ron and Hermione hurried after him, giving one another worried looks. 

Once inside the common room, Harry went straight up to his dorm. Slamming himself onto his bed, he buried his head in his pillow, and finally let the tears fall. 

_I lost the game…I lost to Malfoy… lost to_ _Sîan… and I lost Sîan to Malfoy. I've never been more humiliated in my life…_

After his tears were spent, he rolled over, and stared at the high ceiling through misted glasses, trying hard to think of nothing.

xXx

Draco Malfoy reclined on a gilded couch in the Slytherin common room. The victory party went on around him, but he only had eyes for one person. 

Sîan stood in a corner of the dimly lit dungeon, not talking to anyone. She was thinking about Harry.

_I shouldn't have done that. His face – he must have been so humiliated. _

She suddenly noticed Draco staring pointedly at her, patting the couch beside him. She inwardly took a deep breath, before walking over, and sitting uncomfortably next to the lazing blonde.

"Nice work today, Sîan," he drawled.

She smiled weakly.

"I knew it was only a matter of time before Slytherin beat Gryffindor into the ground. Golden Gryffindor, Dumbledore's shining stars, and Saint _Potter, _the bloody icing on the cake."

Serena remained silent, wishing herself anywhere but there… except maybe in the company of Voldemort…

"But I also knew we could count on you to put him in his place," he continued more quietly, and to her horror, she found that his arm was snaking around her shoulders.

"You're perfect…" he whispered, and leaned in for the kiss.

She jumped away, disgusted, and Draco blinked, surprised. "Don't you know who I am?" he asked angrily. Serena stood and turned to face him, staring straight into his steely grey eyes.

"Yes," she replied quietly, but firmly. "You are Draco Malfoy, and you don't care about anything but yourself." With that, she turned, flicking her hair at him, and strode out of the common room, leaving a surprised Malfoy still sprawling on the couch.

xXx

Ron and Hermione sat in the sombre Gryffindor common room. Near silence hung over, threatening any who dared to make a noise louder than a whisper. Eventually Ron could bear it no longer.

"Please, 'Mione, just let me go up to him," he whined.

"No way, Harry will come down when he wants to. He just needs some time alone," and she turned back to her Arithmancy homework. A few minutes later she looked up, only to find that Ron was nowhere to be seen. Sighing exasperatedly, she stood up to go after him, when he came barrelling down the stairs from the boys dorm.

"Hermione, Harry's gone!" he gasped.

"Oh, he must have slipped out when we weren't looking! Well, we had better go and find him before he does anything stupid," she said, propelling Ron towards the portrait hole.

xXx

Serena walked through the corridors, letting off steam. But through her anger, she could still picture the look on Draco's face as she told him what she thought of him.

_He looked almost…shamed, guilty. Maybe I was too hard on him. Maybe there's more to this boy than meets the eye…_

She turned a corner, still wondering about this new aspect of the seemingly arrogant Slytherin, and smacked straight into someone coming the other way. Unfortunately, she was standing at the top of a particularly large stairwell, and lost her balance. As she inevitably began to topple backwards down the stairs, a hand grabbed her robes and rather yanked her rather unceremoniously upright – a little too far. She fell forwards and knocked her rescuer over, and they both lay on the cold stone floor, breathing hard.

When her world had stopped spinning, Serena slowly turned over to finally find out who had saved her from a nasty fall.

"Harry??" she yelped.

"Er, hi," he mumbled, his ears instantly turning red. "_Oh why now?" _exasperated his conscience. "_I save the girl of my dreams from falling down about a million steps, I'm lying beside her in the middle of the corridor, and all I can think of to say is 'Er, hi?!'"_

"Uh, wow. Thanks," Serena said, standing up and brushing off her robes.

"Um, no problem," Harry scrambled to his feet.

"Listen I, - I'm sorry about Quidditch."

"You're sorry? But you won!" Harry exclaimed disbelievingly.

"Well, I'm sorry about Draco, I guess. He wasn't being nice to you, - you didn't deserve it."

"Him? Oh, he's always been like that," Harry tried to say dismissively, but he had to clench his fists in his pockets to stop red flushes of anger and humiliation from rising in his cheeks.

There was an awkward silence.

"Well, I'll see you in Potions, I guess," she smiled.

"Yeah. See you."

She started to walk away, but as she moved past him, she whispered in his ear, "Thanks again," and kissed him lightly on the cheek, before disappearing around the corner.

A minute later, Ron and Hermione found him still standing in the same place, a dopey half smile on his face.

"Harry, you idiot, where've you been?" demanded Ron.

"Honestly Harry, if you wanted to be alone, you could have told us instead of sending us off round the school on a wild goose chase," scolded Hermione. "I know you're upset about the game, but that's no reason to-"

"She kissed me," said Harry wonderingly, as if he hadn't even acknowledged the presence of his friends. He touched his fingers to his cheek, where he could still feel the tingle of her soft lips on his skin.

"She kissed me…"

"I told you he fancied her," muttered Ron disapprovingly.


	5. Chapter 5: Bregalonds, Apologies and an ...

"I hope we have a new DADA teacher by now," worried Hermione as they waited outside the classroom. "All these supply teacher are useless – I haven't learnt anything I couldn't find out from a book faster."

Ron made a face at her, and continued chatting to Harry about Quidditch, but he was only half listening. Every time he stole a glance at Sîan he felt a tingle on his cheek and a fluttering in his chest.

"All right all right, get into the classroom, quickly now," said a deep voice from behind him. He turned to see a middle aged wizard in emerald green robes ushering students into the classroom. He had dark, shoulder length hair and bright green, attentive eyes. Harry stared at him, sure he had seen him somewhere before, but at that moment Ron poked him in the back to make him move, and he pushed the thought from his head.

"Good morning, class. My name is Professor Dangen, and I will be your new Defence Against the Dark Arts Teacher. I apologise for not making an earlier appearance - I was…abroad. However, I have heard from your supply teachers what you have been studying this term, and if you don't mind me saying so, it sounds like a load of boring rubbish."

A few of the students murmured approvingly.

"So today, I will be teaching you about a creature I hope you will find a little more interesting. Has anyone ever heard of a Bregalond?"

As usual, Hermione's hand waved madly in the air.

"Miss Granger?"

"A Bregalond is a wormlike creature that can camouflage itself to look exactly like its surroundings. It doesn't have any magical powers, but it can suck your magic out of you, and use it as food."

"Well done, Miss Granger, an excellent description. Ten points to Gryffindor."

Hermione smiled smugly, but Ron just rolled his eyes.

"Be warned class. The Bregalond may just look like a large maggot on legs, but it is surprisingly quick, so watch out. Now watch carefully, because this – is a Bregalond."

He heaved a large, seemingly empty cage onto his desk. The students whispered among themselves, thinking they'd got a crackpot for a professor, but they fell silent when the cage suddenly began to shake and rattle, emitting strange squeaks and growls.

"Of course, the Bregalond can smell all of your magic, and so has camouflaged itself, ready for an attack. Fortunately, there is a way we can force it to take its usual colour." The professor reached into his pocket, pulled out a banana and began peeling it. "Bregalonds are extremely partial to bananas, but they have to resume their original colour to eat. Of course, this isn't always positive, as it's not particularly pleasant to be all alone one moment, then to see a Bregalond sucking on your leg the next."

"He proceeded to break off a chunk of the banana, and poke it through the bars of the cage. There was what sounded like a squeal of annoyance, and then the whole class gasped as a pinkish, lumpy creature about half a metre long on four stumpy legs appeared out of nowhere. It began to devour the banana through a large red sucker on what Harry guessed was it head, though it had no other distinguishing features. There were cries of "Ewww!" and "Gross!" from the students, but as soon as the Bregalond had finished eating, it promptly disappeared again.

"As you can see, once you run out of banana, things become a lot more difficult, which is why you must act quickly while you can still see the creature. Firstly, if it has already attached itself to you, you can remove it using a simple disarming spell such as Expelliarmus. However this will not rid you of it – it is more likely that it will become angry. Secondly, you need to prevent the Bregalond from harming you. To do this, point your wand at its sucker and say clearly, "Hiatus Operi." This will block the sucker, leaving you free to tie up its legs – assuming you didn't take too long and you can still see the thing. Now I would like you to work in twos or threes, and come up in an orderly fashion to collect one Bregalond between you. Then we shall proceed outside to practice Hiatus Operi."

The class tramped outside into the chilly autumn morning, and began releasing their Bregalonds. Serena sidled up to Malfoy who was laughing with Crabbe and Goyle. She tapped him lightly on the shoulder and he whipped round, wand out. When he saw who it was, his eyes narrowed.

"What do you want?" he sneered.

"To talk to you."

He folded his arms. "So talk."

"Away from Crap and Boil, please."

He looked at her searchingly, before nodding slightly and waving away his cronies.

When they had shuffled off, seemingly confused as to why she had called them Crap and Boil, Draco turned to Serena. "Well?"

"Um, I – I wanted to say – well, sorry, I guess. Yeah. I'm sorry for showing you up in the common room last night. I know you have a reputation and stuff, and I didn't mean to damage it. You just came on so fast…I didn't really think…" she trailed off. 

To her surprise, he seemed taken aback, and she thought she even caught a glimpse of a blush on his pale cheek.

"Yeah, I guess you did leave me a bit high and dry. But then again, maybe I was coming on too strong. You see, I've never been turned down before…" He stared at the ground, shuffling his feet.

Serena was shocked. _Draco Malfoy – embarrassed? Now there's something you don't see every day. _

"Truce?" she offered, smiling.

He looked up slowly, and saw the genuine look in her eyes, and allowed a smile to spread over his face.

"Truce," he said, shaking her outstretched hand, but on an impulse she pulled him into a hug.

"Are you sure you don't want something more than just friends?" he laughed as they broke apart.

"Sorry," she grinned back.

"Malfoy! Phillips!" came a deep voice from across the grounds. "Would you please stop canoodling and get on with your work!"

"Yes Professor," answered Serena, before turning back to Draco. "So, you want to go first with this thing?" she asked, kicking the squealing cage at her feet.

"No, please, be my guest," offered Draco, grinning. Neither of them noticed that a few yards away, Harry Potter was watching, his hands clenched into tight fists.

xXx

As the students were leaving the lesson, Professor Dangen called Serena over.

"Miss Phillips, I would like a quick word with you in my office please."

Serena swallowed, and motioned to Draco to go on without her, before following the wizard into the castle.

After walking down seemingly endless corridors, they finally stopped outside a large oak door. Dangen muttered a password, then held the door open for Serena before stepping into the room himself.

He motioned for her to sit in an armchair in front of a massive mahogany desk, then went to sit behind it in his personal favourite – a tattered but comfortable recliner. He eyed her amusedly as she stared fascinated at his collection of defensive weapons and tools. A sudden idea came to him, and he pointed his wand to his throat and whispered "Anaudio," before saying out loud, "I've quite a few little toys, haven't I?"

Serena jumped, and stared at him. "P, Professor – your voice…" she said falteringly.

"Yes, quite a bit higher than usual isn't it?" he smiled kindly. When the girl still looked confused, he added "Not everyone is always who they say they are. You should know that…Serena."

Her mouth dropped open at the mention of her real name, and for a moment she had a wild thought that her father had found her, and that this man was a servant he had sent to come and kidnap her.

The wizard watched the emotions play across her face, pity in his eyes, before slowly raising his wand and muttering "Intransit Personatus". Serena's jaw dropped even lower, and her eyes widened as she saw her tall, dark professor transform into a shorter, slightly older man, with intent eyes, spectacles and a kind expression. He held out his hand.

"I believe we were not properly introduced during the summer. My name is Remus Lupin. It was I who bit you while in my werewolf form that night in France."

"Serena shook his hand numbly. _This is the man who gave me that ugly scar on my leg, the man that caused me to change into that…thing every month… _She struggled to find words. "You were…how…here…"

He smiled understandingly. "Two years ago I taught Defence Against the Dark Arts here at Hogwarts, but at the end of the school year the students found out about my…condition, and I was forced to resign. However, Professor Dumbledore requested that I continue teaching under a disguise, so that I can offer you support when we transform, among other things."

Serena suddenly remembered her mouth was still open and closed it quickly. _There's no pointing saying anything, _she reasoned with herself. _You'll only come out with a load of gibberish, and Mr. Lupin is perfectly harmless, so what's the problem?_

Remus studied her closely, then stood and moved towards the door. "I expect you will need some time for this to sink in. You may go now, but I think it would be best if no one else knew about our little meeting… Sîan."

She moved past him into the corridor, and looked back into his honest face. She managed a small smile, then turned towards the Dining Hall, her stomach telling her it was time to eat.

A/N: In the wonderful words of fea…"Reviews are the food of life… *cough hint cough*


	6. Chapter 6: Boomslang, Memories and New R...

"Hey Harry, would you pass me the Boomslang essence please?"

"Er, sure." Harry handed Serena the jar.

"Aren't you going to write all this down? Remember we have to hand in a written folio as well."

"Oh. Yeah, um…" Harry busied himself with his quill.

"Did I ever compliment you on your articulacy?" she grinned.

"Er, my what?" Harry looked up, confused.

Serena sighed. "Never mind," and continued adding ingredients to the bubbling potion.

Harry looked over at Ron, who gave him a big thumbs up and mouthed "Go for it!" Just then Pansy Parkinson barked something at him and he flinched, cowering under the pointy-nosed Slytherin. Harry let out a small chuckle but shot a look of sympathy in Ron's direction, before turning back to Serena.

"So, er, you and Malfoy, huh?" He attempted conversation, avoiding her eye.

"Draco? What about him?" she asked indifferently.

Harry could feel his ears burning. "Are you, uh, together then?"

"Him?!" she laughed. "No way. I could never go out with that ponce."

Harry heaved an inward sigh of relief, but tried not to let anything show on his face.

"Well, I don't have anything against him, he's a friend – he's just not my type. Besides, I don't go for blondes," she said, catching Harry's glance and holding it.

Harry stared back, and when green eyes met brown, the two minds came to an understanding. He smiled at her, and hesitated, before placing his hand atop hers, not breaking their eye contact. She smiled back, and bit her bottom lip, then slowly started to lean towards him. 

A sudden hissing and spitting from their cauldron made them both jump, and they grinned guiltily, before busying themselves with their own tasks under Snape's eagle eye.

xXx

Across the Potions classroom, Draco and Hermione were having a rather dissimilar conversation.

"Pass me the Boomslang essence, Malfoy."

Draco lazily pushed the jar towards Hermione, and continued picking imaginary bits of fluff off his immaculate robes, a look of pure boredom on his face.

It was their fifth potions lesson together, and Draco just refused point blank to cooperate. He sat in smug silence the whole way through the lessons, leaving Hermione to do the work. She tried to ignore it, and concentrate on the job in hand, but it was becoming increasingly difficult, as new feelings about Draco had begun to occur in her mind; feelings that shocked her, but were impossible to shake off.

She glanced sideways at him as she picked up the jar and unscrewed the lid. A blush threatened to stain her cheeks as she noticed once more the intense blonde of his shiny hair, his clear silver eyes, and perfect, pale complexion. Shaking her head, she tried to push her thoughts away, and force some severity into her voice.

"Look, you're not helping, just sitting there. You may be Snape's favourite, but I have to work to get good grades from him."

"Of course you do. You Mudbloods are as thick as anything." 

"Watch it Malfoy," she warned, her voice edged with anger, but inside her heart was stinging with hurt.

Draco looked up with a sarcastic smirk, but his eyes widened when he saw her about to add far too much of the Boomslang essence. "Watch out, you idiot! You want to-"

BOOM! Hundreds of glass test tubes and phials clinked and rattled on the shelves lining the dungeon as the cauldron exploded, sending a tremor through the room. Hermione was thrown backwards off her stool by the force, and Draco leaped off his own seat to shield her with his body. He looked down at her shocked face, but at that moment some flying debris hit him in the back of his head, and his vision blurred, then blacked to nothing.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Hermione sat by Draco's bedside, watching his peaceful sleeping from wistfully. She bit her lip, and dared to reach out and touch his face. His skin felt soft and warm, and she stroked it gently, wishing she didn't have to feel the way she did.

What chance did she think she had anyway? This is Draco Malfoy, the perfect Slytherin, ready to join his father in league with the Dark Lord. And yet…_he did rescue me from getting burned or worse just a few hours ago…just maybe…_

A slight stirring from the blonde told Hermione he was waking up, and she snatched her hand away from his face guiltily.

He woke to the familiar glaring whiteness and antiseptic stench of the hospital wing. Groaning, he rolled over, painfully aware of a large lump on the back of his head.

"Hello Draco."

A female voice made him flinch instinctively. _Oh wonderful. Pansy bloody Parkinson. _Last year he had found her quite attractive, until she attached herself to him permanently after the Yule Ball, labelling herself "Draco's Girlfriend," to get popular by association. He had gone off her within a few days, but she persisted in clinging to him like a sickly sweet lollipop. He shuddered.

She chuckled. "Don't worry, I'm not going to attack you – not on purpose anyway…" The voice wasn't Pansy's, but it was familiar, and it sounded almost…guilty, and apologetic. It couldn't be…Granger?

He peeked out from under the sheets to see her sitting by the bed, and immediately twisted his face into his trademark smirk.

"Come to gloat? You finally got me hospitalised, Granger. Happy?"

"Actually-" she paused and took a breath. "I came to say thank you for what you did in Potions."

He raised an amused eyebrow. "Isn't this rich coming from a Gryffindor? Where are your friends Granger? Are Potter and Weasley hiding in the cupboard, giggling like little girls-"

"I think you care about me, Draco," she said softly.

"What?" he exclaimed, a look of distaste on his pale face. 

She leaned forward. "You don't have to be something you aren't just because people expect it of you. Draco, why did you help me?"

He studied her closely, examining the soft contours of her cheeks, her smooth skin and her deep brown eyes that conveyed nothing but sincerity. "I, I didn't-" he stuttered, but at that moment Madame Pomfrey bustled into the room, carrying a bottle filled with thick, mud-brown sludge.

"Honestly, it's a wonder that my patients ever recover when nobody lets them rest! Visiting hours are over Miss Granger, now Shoo!" and she propelled Hermione towards the door with surprising force. The girl knew resistance was futile, and left quietly, but dared a glance at Draco before she was pushed through the door. It slammed in her face, and she sighed, looking at her watch. 4pm. Time to receive her punishment from Snape. She shuddered and headed in the direction of the dungeons.

When she had left, the nurse turned and strode back to Draco, muttering under her breath, and he couldn't help but smile slightly at her temper. However, he wasn't smiling a minute later when she force-fed him three spoonfuls of sludge from the bottle.

"It tastes like feet!" he spluttered.

"Nonsense, stop wriggling like a first year and OPEN YOUR MOUTH!"

He scrunched his eyes shut and held his nose, knowing it would do no good to protest further. The slimy mixture slid down his throat like three spoonfuls of mushed brain, and he squirmed, trying not to wretch.

Madame Pomfrey tutted and went back to her office. Draco scowled at her departing figure and huddled down again, still tasting the foul goop in his mouth, but within a few seconds the potion took hold and he was once more lost in slumber.

xXx

Draco walked through the corridors of the Malfoy Manor, legs quaking with every step. His shoes made an ominous sound on the cold stone floor, and he looked towards a flickering light, but it did not comfort him, for he knew whom it illuminated. All too soon he was knocking on the large oak door of his father's study.

"Enter," came the sinister reply.

The blonde swallowed, and stepped into the room. A fire blazed, sending shadows dancing over the expensive couches and tables that furnished the study, but there was no other source of light, and threatening shadows loomed out of the dark corners. Draco studied the patterned carpet beneath his feet, but he was fearfully aware of the faces that stared at him from the paintings lining the walls, and still more aware of the pair of eyes he was least anxious to meet. He lifted his gaze slowly, and inch by inch took in the intimidating silhouette of his father, swathed in black, the firelight deepening the shadows on his face. The man looked down at the small boy cowering before him.

"Draco." He rolled the name off his tongue as if it had a bad taste. "Would you care to explain your behaviour this afternoon?"

The boy made no reply.

"If you thought for one second that I would have the smallest inclination to let you mingle with that…that filth… Have I not told you, boy, that no Mudblood is ever to set foot in my house? And you not only bring the little wretch in, but you actually dared to invite her to dine at my table!" he spat, and slammed his fist on the mantelpiece, making the ornaments quiver.

"But Sir-" Draco's voice was no more than a whisper, and he clapped his hand to his mouth as he realised what he had said

"Did you say But? How dare you…" His voice dripped poison. Draco watched in silent horror, his eyes wide with unshed tears, as his father raised his wand and hissed "Crucio."

Pain, and nothing but pain filled Draco's world, as he fell to the floor, screaming louder than he had ever screamed before, though he did not hear it. Eternity stretched before him, each moment darker than the last, but eventually, his young mind could no longer bear the torture. It shut down, and the boy fainted.

Draco was nine years old.__

xXx

The blonde sat up in bed, his face soaked in sweat. Gulping deep breaths of air, he stared around, until his eyes rested on the wall clock opposite. 7:30pm. Good. There was still time.

Leaping out of bed, he threw on his robes, not even pausing to comb his hair into its usual slicked back style, and ran out of the hospital wing.

He finally found Hermione near the library after receiving more than a few odd looks from passers by.

"Hermione!" he yelled, running down the corridor after her. She stopped bewildered, and turned to find out who was calling her name. When she saw him racing towards her, his blonde hair flopping into his face, and his robes askew, her features softened, and she waited, smiling slightly. He reached her, panting, but without a word he grabbed her hand, and hurried off again, pulling her with him.

When he found a quiet corridor, he finally let go of her, and bent over, catching his breath. 

"Draco, what on earth do you want?" She eyed him amusedly.

He didn't answer for several minutes, but eventually he straightened and moved towards her, looking directly into her eyes, his breathing controlled and even. Hermione backed away nervously, until she was against the wall. Still he advanced, stopping inches from her face, then in one swift movement, he slid his arms around her waist and pulled her to him, never breaking their eye contact. 

Her heart stopped. 

And then he kissed her, and stars exploded in every molecule of her body. For a few seconds, nothing else existed, just her, and the person holding her. She threw her arms around his neck, surrendering herself entirely to him. To Draco.

Draco?

The realisation of exactly who she was kissing dawned and she broke away, staring at him in shock, but he just smiled. Not his usual sarcastic smirk, but a genuine, honest, smile of pure gladness and relief.

"I'm not afraid anymore," he said simply. Hermione understood, and smiled back, then put her arms around his neck, and pulled him in for another kiss.

A/N: In the wonderful words of fea…"Reviews are the food of life…*cough hint cough*


	7. Chapter 7: Sulks, Promises and Questions

Hermione floated back to the common room in a blissful dream. The Fat Lady smiled at her, understanding completely, and swung aside, murmuring to herself "Yes, I remember that feeling well…"

Once she was inside, Harry sprinted over to her, a huge grin on his face. Ron followed more slowly, looking a bit dubious.

"Hermione, you'll never guess what!" said Harry excitedly.

"He's going out with Sîan Phillips," Ron finished glumly.

"Isn't it great!" Harry didn't seem to notice Ron's lack of enthusiasm.

"It's fantastic, Harry," Hermione reassured him, even though the information didn't really sink in, and she didn't notice the utterly betrayed look on Ron's face.

"What's wrong with you Hermione?" he asked, studying her closely to discover why on earth she had backed Harry going out with a Slytherin. "We haven't seen you all evening – did Snape make you cut every blade of grass in Hogwarts with nail scissors or something?"

"No, I've been in the library. Snape's just making me help Filch clean the bathrooms on Thursday evening."

Ron raised his eyebrows. "That's not too bad. He must be going soft."

"…For the next two months."

"…Oh."

"Won't that affect your studies, 'Mione?" asked Harry mischievously.

Hermione's brows furrowed. "Yes, you're right. I will be pressed for time now there's Draco as well."

"Draco Malfoy? What's he got to do with it?"

"Yeah, why are you on first-name terms with him? Are you two going out or something?" Ron laughed, but Harry gave him a hard nudge when he noticed Hermione's serious face.

"Actually yes, we are," she answered simply.

Ron's mouth dropped open. "You have to be joking."

"She's not joking, Ron." said Harry slowly.

Hermione smiled guiltily, but Ron just blinked, gob smacked. 

Suddenly a light dawned in Hermione's eyes, and she exclaimed, "Harry! You're going out with Sîan! That's wonderful - I always knew you two would get together!"

Ron frowned and shook his head disbelievingly at his friends, who were still talking excitedly about their new beaus. Eventually he could bear it no longer and stalked off to talk to Dean and Seamus who were playing wizard chess in a corner.

"Girls are gross," he declared, slumping into a chair.

"You've not fallen out with Granger again?" Seamus rolled his eyes. "Oh, by the way Dean, I've checked your king."

Dean frowned, and Ron smiled slightly, knowing the tactic well. "It's girls in general," he moaned. "All they seem to do is buy new clothes, or giggle about _boys_. And I can't tell the difference between most of them anyway, so what's the point of having a makeover or whatever and coming out looking exactly the same as you did before? And now Harry's almost as bad – oh Dean, you need to move your bishop here. Now you've checked Seamus."

"Hey, no fair!" the Irish boy protested. "Everyone knows Ron is unbeatable."

Dean grinned triumphantly. "So what's Harry done then? Had a fling with Hermione?"

"Worse," muttered Ron. "They're both going out with _Slytherins._"

Dean raised his eyebrows, and Seamus gave a low whistle." Who are they?" he whispered conspiratorially.

"Think of the worst people possible," replied Ron shortly.

Seamus paused before answering, "Draco Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson."

"You're half right. Hermione's with Malfoy, and Harry's with that new girl, Sîan Whats-her-name."

Seamus visibly flinched, but Dean said "Well, Sîan is pretty good looking I guess."

"DEAN!" Ron punched him on the shoulder. "It's disgusting! I don't know what he thinks he's doing with her – why can't he find some nice Gryffindor girl like Lavender or Parvati…ok not them, but you get the picture. And Malfoy – MALFOY!! It doesn't even bear thinking about!"

"Calm down, Weasley," murmured Seamus, his eyes glued to the chessboard. "Wait a minute…checkmate Dean! I win!"

"Oh, thanks a lot, Ron," he muttered, but the redhead had already stormed off to the boys dorm.

xXx

A couple of hours later, Harry nervously climbed the steps to the boys' dorm. Knocking softly, he entered, and saw the redhead lying on his bed. "Hi Ron, " he said gently.

"Shouldn't you be on a date somewhere?" came the muffled reply, and he rolled over so his back was turned to Harry.

Harry moved over to the bed and sat down. "Listen Ron, I'm sorry for leaving you out earlier this evening."

"Don't mention it. I'm sure I would only have been a bore anyway."

"Oh, don't be like that," said Harry, hurt.

Ron sat up slowly and hung his legs over the side of the bed, his back still to Harry, and his head bowed. "It can be tough being Harry Potter's best friend you know."

Harry was taken aback. "I – I never thought about it like that before…"

"Of course you didn't. You were too busy being a celebrity with a gorgeous girlfriend to take any notice of me…wow that was harsh. I'm really sorry, I don't mean it, I guess I'm just a bit jealous, that's all. You've got loads of stuff to deal with and-"

"It's ok Ron," cut in Harry reassuringly. "I have been a bit…distracted recently. It's the holiday's the day after tomorrow, and we're all three of us staying at Hogwarts, so why don't we go and visit Hagrid? We've barely seen him all year."

Ron turned slowly to face Harry. "Just you, me and 'Mione?" he asked cautiously.

"Promise." Harry held out his hand. "And then I promise to treat you both to a Butterbeer in The Three Broomsticks."

Ron broke into a grin, and shook Harry's hand. "Honestly, I'm hopeless at sulking," he said

"You're a sucker for bribery too!" laughed Harry, and the two friends went to find Hermione and tell her their plans.

xXx

Harry walked out of Potions the next afternoon with Serena. Their Cantabilus Potion was coming along well – Serena wasn't as especially talented as Hermione, but she was hardworking, and the potion was definitely taking shape. Harry was positive that they would get a decent mark for it.

"You want to go somewhere tonight?" he asked, taking her hand.

"Sure, she answered, and Harry smiled at her, still enchanted by her sexy French accent. Suddenly she winced and snatched her hand away. "I mean no! I have to er, study tonight. Big Arithmancy test after the holidays, you know…"

Harry frowned. "Do you have to? There'll be a beautiful full moon tonight, I thought we could go for a walk…besides you have the whole of the holidays to study."

"I can't-"

"I could help you study if you want. I'm hopeless at Arithmancy, but-"

"I'm sorry Harry," she said quickly, and hurried away without looking back, leaving Harry standing bewildered in the corridor.

Soon after, Hermione came out of the classroom arm in arm with Malfoy, followed by Ron who was eyeing them distastefully.

"Hello Harry – why are you on your own? I thought you were with Sîan," she said.

"Um, I don't really know – she just ran off."

"Well she is Slytherin," muttered Ron, but he immediately received a vicious poke from Hermione. Draco shot him a venomous look, then whispered something in his girlfriend's ear, kissed her cheek and headed off towards the Slytherin common room.

"Gross," whispered Ron under his breath.

Harry stood silent for a while, collecting his thoughts, then an idea came to him, and he began running towards the Gryffindor Tower. Ron and Hermione glanced at each other, then rolled their eyes and ran after him.

Once inside his dorm, Harry ripped open his trunk and searched through his belongings until he found what he was looking for. Grabbing the tattered parchment, he went down to the common room where his friends were waiting for him.. They found a quiet corner, and Harry unrolled the parchment, touched his wand to it, and stated "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." Instantly, lines began to appear on it, and a map of Hogwarts appeared, with little labelled dots moving along the corridors.

"The Marauders Map? Harry, don't you think you're betraying Sîan's trust?" Hermione scolded.

Harry paused, but said, "Of course I trust her. I just want to see if I can find out why she needs to study alone," and he scanned the map, ignoring Hermione's pursed lips.

However, after a minute, he looked up, confused. "I can't see her," he said.

"She has to be here somewhere." Ron took the map and studied it. "Hey, you're right Harry, she's not here. But look, Fred and George are in the kitchens, probably getting some start-of-holiday celebration food. Perhaps we should waylay them in the corridor…" He looked up, grinning slyly.

"Ron don't be ridiculous." Hermione snatched the map. Suddenly her eyes widened. "Harry," she breathed. "Remus Lupin is in the DADA classroom."

"Bloody hell," marvelled Ron.

"Who's that with him?" wondered Harry, staring at the map. "Serena Silvan…"  
  


"Doesn't ring any bells with me," said Ron.

"Me neither," said Hermione, still gazing at the now stationary dot labelled "Remus Lupin."

"Looks like there's only one thing left to do," ended Harry, a smile twitching at the corners of his mouth.

xXx

Five minutes later, the three friends crept along the Defence Against the Dark Arts corridor under Harry's Invisibility Cloak. Stopping outside the closed door of the classroom, they pressed their ears to the wood to hear the hushed voices within.

"You've taken the Potion, Serena? Good. Well, we had best be off to the forest before it begins," said Remus' kindly voice.

Two sets of footsteps crossed to the door and Harry, Ron and Hermione jumped backwards out of the way, pressing themselves against the wall. The door opened, and Harry gasped as he saw a girl with long brown hair appear. Hermione gripped his shoulder to prevent him from saying anything, and he watched his girlfriends as she looked out of the window opposite at the darkening night, before sighing and turning back to face the doorway she had just come from.

Suddenly all three friends gasped as a second figure left the classroom and locked it behind him.

"Professor Dangen," breathed Ron, staring in disbelief at his teacher.

"I hate this," said Serena quietly.

Remus looked pained. "I know. I'm sorry for inflicting this pain on you my dear, but I'm afraid that now it cannot be helped. Come, It's time we left." And he led her away down the corridor.

As soon as they were out of sight, Harry started to go after them, but both Ron and Hermione grabbed him and held him back. He stared after them silently, his eyes revealing his betrayal. Sinking to the floor, his back against the wall, he put his head in his hands and whispered, "She lied to me."

"I know Harry," soothed Hermione, throwing off the Invisibility Cloak and sitting on the floor beside him. Ron leaned against the wall, his face showing nothing but confusion.

"But something tells me she did it for a reason, and we shouldn't interfere."

"But what's Lupin doing here in disguise, and running off with Sîan – who isn't Sîan – to the Forbidden Forest?" exclaimed Ron.

"Well, the first part's easy. Lupin has to be in disguise, because if he tried to teach in his usual guise, half the parents would take their children out of school because he's a werewolf."

"But why has Sîan – I mean Serena – changed her name?" asked Harry quietly. "And why does Remus know about it but no one else – except perhaps Dumbledore. And why do they have to get to the Forest before something begins? And what pain did Remus inflict on her?"

"You don't think he bit her or something?" asked Ron fearfully.

"Don't be ridiculous Ron, there's no way. You know Snuffles always keeps Remus under control when he transforms. But as to the other questions Harry – I'm afraid I don't know the answers," said Hermione sadly.


	8. Chapter 8: The Full Moon, Rock Cake and ...

Serena trudged sullenly behind her professor, dreading what would happen in the next few minutes. Remus glance back and caught her expression. Smiling encouragingly, he said "Trust me, it gets easier." She managed a weak smile in reply, and was grateful when he took her hand and patted it comfortingly, before leading her onwards towards their designated clearing.

The night darkened, and Serena suddenly became aware of how scary the forest was. She jumped as a creature scuttled across her foot, and eerie screeches and yelps came from the surrounding trees. The light of Remus' small lantern seemed like a matchstick flame compared to the all-encompassing dark. Shivering, she hurried on into the small patch of grass that was to be her shelter for the night. The stars lit the clearing dimly, and she relaxed slightly, as there was the feeling that no real evil could come there.

"Except for the fact that I'm about to bring it here," she thought bitterly, as Remus came towards her holding a bundle of thick chain. Obediently, she allowed herself to be handcuffed, then sat with her back against a tree, while Remus tied her to the trunk, and used an Unbreakable charm on the chain. She watched as he did the same to himself using magic, and then together they waited in tense silence as the forest whispered and rustled around them.

Slowly, inevitably, the full moon rose above the treetops. As soon as the first sliver of light fell upon Serena's face, she felt an excruciating pain all over her body, as though hundreds of thousands of pins were pricking her skin. Looking down, she saw coarse hairs sprouting from the back of her hand, and whimpered as her fingers shortened into sharp claws. In wave after wave of unbearable aching pain, her hair and clothes disappeared, her nose and mouth lengthened into a snout, fur grew all over her body, and her entire bone structure changed to that of a ferocious beast.

She flopped over as the pain suddenly stopped, breathing heavily. A moment later, she realised her breath was coming in low growls, and she jumped, if it was possible, but a clinking sound reminded her of her captivity. Almost instantly, she was filled with a terrible anger, and she thrashed wildly, slashing at her bonds with four sharp claws, roaring and howling with rage.

Half an hour later, she gave up the fight, and slumped to the ground, growling in suppressed anger. A sudden flutter in the tress made her prick her ears, and her acute sense of smell told her a brown owl was taking off. That second, the forest came alive to her. She was aware of everything, from the galloping of unicorn hooves to the skitter of a rodent five miles away. She sensed the other werewolf close to her, and her hackles immediately rose, territorial instinct coming through, but a part of her brain told her it was useless to attack. She strained at the chains again anyway, ignoring the voice in her head. She longed to be free, to feel the wind in her fur, to taste the night air, to hunt…and to kill.

In that moment, the last shred of humanity fled from her body, and pure, predatory instinct took over. Serena had become a werewolf.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

The next morning, Harry picked mournfully at his egg in the rather empty Great Hall. As usual, the decorations were spectacular, with a twenty-foot fir standing regally in one corner, and real, sparkling icicles hanging in mid air. The ceiling did not imitate the sky outside, (which was rather grey and wet) but depicted a whirling snowstorm, with flurries of flakes disappearing as soon as you reached out to touch them.

"Cheer up Harry - you have to eat something or you'll be starving when we go to Hagrid's, the sort of stuff he cooks. Besides, it's nearly Christmas! Encouraged Ron through a mouthful of toast.

"Harry, I know you must be hurting, but please trust me when I say I think Serena is being as honest with you as she can."

"What do you mean – do you know something about it?" Harry looked up sharply.

"No Harry, calm down, it's just the way she looked when we saw her." When he still seemed confused, she added "Girly Instinct."

"Can't argue with that," shrugged Ron, digging into his third slice of bacon.

Harry sighed and nodded in agreement, picking up his fork.

After wrapping up as warmly as they could, the three friends set off for Hagrid's cabin. During their walk, the light drizzle that had been falling since the night before turned into flakes of snow, falling gently at first, then harder and faster until a full on blizzard raged about them, blanketing everything in a thick carpet of glistening white.

Eventually, they ploughed through the accumulating snowdrifts by the hut and banged on the thick oak door. It opened and a blast of heat rushed out to warm their frozen faces.

"My word, what are you three doin' trekkin' all out 'ere in this weather?" exclaimed Hagrid. "Come inside 'afore yeh catch yer death."

They stepped gratefully into the cosy hut, and were greeted by Fang with large slobbery licks. Removing their soaking outer layers, they laid them by the fire to dry and curled up in comfy chairs with mugs of steaming cocoa.

"Rock cake?" asked Hagrid eagerly. "I've 'bin practicin', I think they're getting' pretty good now."

"No!" they all cried in unison.

"I mean, thanks Hagrid, but we've just eaten," finished Harry hurriedly and the others nodded emphatically. A fleeting disappointment crossed the half giant's face, but then he lowered his huge bulk into an armchair opposite, and beamed at them.

"So what've yeh been up to eh? Barely seen yeh all year – hows the studying for OWLs coming along?"

"Harry and Ron shot each other a look as Hermione launched into a detailed description of how she was finding the work much easier than she had expected, but she was not going to let her guard down and lose points by slacking blah blah blah. However, the conversation soon moved onto more enjoyable topics such as Quidditch and the Christmas decorations, and, inevitably, Draco and Sîan (they chose not to mention the previous night's outing). After Hagrid's initial shock, he eventually came to terms with the possibility that not all Slytherins are entirely evil. Promising that he would attempt to see Draco especially in a different light, the conversation moved on, though Harry and Ron were not entirely approving

Fortunately, once the matter was out in the open, the rest of the visit passed very pleasantly, and Harry, Ron and Hermione were reluctant to leave the warm fireside, even though the blizzard had ended and the snow was coming down gently again in large, soft flakes.

Eventually, the y said their goodbyes and trudges out into the ankle deep snow. There they stood for a while, contemplating whether to go back to school or on to Hogsmeade. They decided on the latter, as everyone needed to buy Christmas presents, it was nearer, and they all wanted a Butterbeer to warm their stomachs. However, the short walk through the snow seemed very much longer and colder than it ought, and once they arrived in the small village, they decided to go straight to the Three Broomsticks. Finding a quiet corner, they sat down with large mugs of the warming drink, and began to thaw their frozen limbs for the second time that day.

Just as they were nearing the bottom of their Butterbeers and dreading going back outside into the cold, Draco Malfoy entered the inn. Surprisingly, he was not accompanied by his usual cronies. Catching sight of Hermione, he broke into a smile and headed over to their table, but hen he saw Harry and Ron, and his face fell. He quickly replaced his disappointed expression with a smirk and went to sit at the bar alone. Only Hermione noticed his entrance, and told Harry and Ron she would be back in a minute, before going to join him.

"I though this was supposed to be a "just us day," said Ron through his teeth.

"So did I," growled Harry, glaring at his friend and his archenemy.

To both boys utter amazement, five minutes later, the couple got up and left the pub without a backwards glance.

"So much for her coming back," muttered Ron, staring into his drink to hide his disappointment, but Harry hardened his features.

"Come on, we don't need her," he said, getting up. Ron sighed and drained his mug, before following Harry outside.

The two boys spent the rest of the afternoon shopping for Christmas presents, though both were rather reluctant when it came to buying one for Hermione. They knew it was petty, but each felt betrayed by her departure, though they tried not to let it show through their gifts.

Harry was having trouble finding Serena a present, and though they had been shopping for hours and were frozen stiff, he just hadn't found anything quite special enough. Ron wondered why Harry was making such a big deal of it, especially since Serena/ Sîan was shamelessly lying to him. He eventually decided that Harry had taken Hermione's advice and was trying not to worry about it. His numb toes then reminded him of just how cold he was and he managed to persuade Harry to give up and come back tomorrow. They headed back towards Hogwarts, and the sun sank below the horizon, tingeing the crisp snow with rose pink.

Suddenly, something glittering in a shop window caught Harry's eye, and he stopped for a closer look, before breaking into a grin and hurrying inside the tiny jewellers. A couple of minutes later, he came out again, carrying a small black box. Ron raised an eyebrow at him, but Harry just grinned and carried on walking.


	9. Chapter 9: Enthusiasm, Anxiety and Utter...

Harry woke with the dawn on Christmas morning, and immediately leaped out of bed, feeling invigorated and alive. Spying the small pile of presents at the end of his bed, he grinned widely and went to wake Ron.

"Mum, go back to sleep," mumbled the redhead, turning over and continuing to snore softly.

"Ron, get up you muppet, its Christmas!" said Harry, clonking him on the head.

"No it's not, _you _get _me_ the muffin,"

"ROANLD WEASLEY!" roared Harry in his best impression of Ron's mum, and chuckled as the sleeping boy suddenly flew up straight, his eyes wide with fright.

"It was Fred and George-" 

"Don't worry, it's just me," said Harry, still grinning hugely at his terrified friend.

"Bloody hell Harry, there are other ways to wake a person you know. Or at least give me a bit of warning, especially on…hand on, its Christmas! Why didn't you tell me?" he exclaimed, leaping out of bed and grabbing his own pile of presents. Harry rolled his eyes and went to open his own gifts, still chuckling to himself.

When all their presents were unwrapped they donned their usual knitted jumpers from Mrs Weasley, and went to find Hermione, purposing to make their peace with her for the sake of the holidays. They were amazed to find her reading in the common room.

"Hermione, what on earth are you doing?" asked Ron in disgust.

"Really, 'Mione, it's still months till the OWLs," agreed Harry.

"Well, I have been spending a lot of time with Draco these past few days, (both boys bristled at this) and I am determined not to let it affect my studies. Besides, this is really quite interesting," she explained, showing the cover of the large volume.

"Advanced Arithmancy by Archimedes A. Roundbottom" stated stern gold letters. Beneath the writing was a picture of a rather dumpy, even sterner looking wizard with a perfectly curled moustache and a monocle.

"Roundbottom seems pretty accurate," said Ron, stifling a giggle. The wizard frowned at him disapprovingly, and Hermione snatched her book back, with a matching frown.

"Ron, don't be so childish. This man is a genius – his work on formulae is fascinating. I've been dying for this book, and my parents sent it to me, which shows they've gone to a lot of effort, so you had better shut up."

"S, sorry Hermione," stuttered Ron, his face red from the effort of holding back his laughter. She tutted, but put down the book, just as Seamus Finnigan came leaping down the stairs.

"Morning all!" he said brightly. "Dean and Neville have gone home for the holidays, so do you three mind if I stick around today?" They shook their heads and he grinned and sat down. "I had the weirdest dream about your mum last night, Weasley. It was like she was actually there in the dorm, and she was yelling at you. Pretty scary, really."

Ron grinned. "She can be a pretty scary woman," he said, avoiding Harry's eye.

"So, did any of you get any good presents? What about you Harry? Get another family heirloom, or a few more Firebolts? Nice jumper, by the way," he added, smirking.

"I'm afraid not. And thanks," answered Harry, pulling a face at him.

"Hey, I was jut saying!" he exclaimed, putting up his hands in mock defence. "Say, shall we go and find some breakfast? I bet the house elves have outdone themselves again," and without waiting for an answer, he bounded away towards the portrait hole.

Harry, Ron and Hermione exchanged looks. "He seems uh, enthusiastic," attempted Harry.

"Fred and George probably slipped him some sort of prank sweet," said Ron, but a grin found its way onto his face.

"Maybe, but it's most likely he's just eaten too much sugar before breakfast," ended Hermione. "Well, we had better go and find him before he tries to fly down the stairs or something," and she moved purposefully towards the portrait hole. Stifling giggles for the second time that morning, Harry and Ron followed obediently, each deliberately avoiding the other's eye.

They found him in the Great Hall, stuffing eggs and bacon into his mouth as quickly as he could. "I thought you three would never get here," he said without stopping to swallow his mouthful of food. "Look, it snowed again during the night – are you up for a snowball fight? Fred and George and loads of others are already out there, and they're giving away a huge box of their sweets and chocolate to the winning team," he announced, his eyes glittering.

"Well, if we win, you're certainly not getting a bean," muttered Ron, as Seamus continued to chatter non-stop while still shovelling breakfast into his mouth.

Hermione didn't hear much of the rather one-sided conversation. She gazed at Draco who had his back to her at the Slytherin table. Pansy Parkinson was chattering excitedly to him but from his slumping posture Hermione guessed her was completely disinterested. "Harry," she wondered. "When are you going to give Sere… I mean Sîan her present?

Harry's breakfast suddenly seemed like a dead weight in his stomach. During the past few days he had been trying to take Hermione's advice and not worry about his girlfriend's fake identity; to tell the truth, he had almost forgotten about it, apart from when he was buying her present. But now he could no longer hide from her – at some point today they would have to meet. "Harry!" called a female voice, and he wince, before forcing a smile and turning to greet Serena.

"I haven't seen you for ages! How have you been?" she asked cheerfully.

"Um, OK, I guess," he answered carefully.

"Do you want to meet up after the Feast this evening? We could sneak off during the Yule Ball and go for that walk you promised me…" she trailed off, noticing Harry's less than enthusiasm.

"OK, that sounds good."

"Great! I, uh, I'll see you later then,"

"Yeah. See you."

She turned and hurried from the Hall, before anyone noticed her pained expression. "_What have I done wrong?" _ she wondered.

"For goodness sake, Harry, you could have made a little more effort!" scolded Hermione. "I know things can't be brilliant between you two, but she's obviously trying to make it work, so give her a break! And who knows, she may even want to tell you… things," she added, glancing sideways at Seamus, but to her surprise, he had disappeared.

"Blimey, that was quick," breathed Ron.

"I know, 'Mione, but I just can't understand why," said Harry sadly.

"This is depressing," decided Ron. "I don't know about you, but I'm going to join the snowball fight. I could do with a few of Fred and George's joke sweets to cheer me up. I'd feed 'em all to Malfoy… I mean er, Crabbe and Goyle," he said, catching Hermione's glare. Harry shrugged indifferently, and the three friends got up to join the fun outside.

The rest of the day passed very pleasantly, though in mid-afternoon Seamus spontaneously grew a tail, performed a vigourous jig, then lost his enthusiastic streak altogether. No one was surprised when Fred and George mysteriously disappeared for a few hours, and though Seamus' tail fell out after a couple of minutes, he was extremely embarrassed, and vowed to take his revenge on the Weasley twins. Ron did not win the snowball fight, and the box of confectionary went to Katie Bell. Fred and George conveniently forgot to tell her that they were prank sweets, and everyone who knew were too curious to see the results to inform her.

As the sun sank over the snow-topped trees, so did the hearts of Harry and Ron. Sunset meant the Christmas Feast, and inevitably, the Yule Ball. Hermione has disappeared to "get ready" several hours before, and now, with half an hour to go, Harry and Ron decided to do the same.

They dragged themselves up to their dorm, and pulled out their dusty dress robes. Ron's sleeved had frayed almost up to the elbow, but he managed to charm them longer, and secured them with a wobbly hem. Both his and Harry's robes were several inches too short (they had both grown much taller over the past year), and after trying various lengthening spells, they gave up and took them to Hermione. She wouldn't let them see her, but stuck her hand out of the door, took the robes, and threw them out again a couple of minutes later, grumbling "Honestly, can't boys do anything for themselves?"

Picking up the bundles of material, they took them back up to the dorm, and reluctantly began to get changed. When they were done, both boys had to admit they look pretty good. The robes were exactly the right length, they looked and smelled clean, and even Ron's musty, moth-eaten velvet number looked very acceptable, even attractive. He examined himself in the mirror, trying not to smile at his appearance.

"You know, Hermione is pretty useful sometimes," he said casually, wrenching himself away from his reflection to face Harry. He stifled a giggle when he sae him attempting to brush his unruly dark hair into a ridiculous side parting. "Erm, Harry, isn't this just a little too much effort fro your girlfriend?"

"Well, I don't want to look stupid Ron. Besides, I think it looks pretty good.

At this Ron laughed outright, but Harry just frowned at him.

"Now, if I could only transfigure my glasses into contact lenses so I'd look a bit more sophisticated…"

"Contact lenses?"

"Like glasses, only they're really thin, and you put them in your eye… never mind, it's a Muggle thing."

"Oh. It sounded a bit complicated."

"Well, it's time we graced the school with our appearance. How do I look?"

"Really Harry, you're as vain as Lavender or Parvati! And if you want to know, you look like an idiot," chuckled Ron.

Harry just grinned and pulled a face. "Wait Ron! You don't have a date!"

Ron groaned. "You know what, I honestly don't care."

"That's the spirit. Now come on, let's go."

They set off at a brisk walk, but as they saw the hundreds of other students heading in the same direction, talking excitedly about the coming evening, their pace slowed until they were snailing along, each step one closer to the nightmare before them.

Halfway down the main staircase a though struck Harry like a thunderbolt and his heart dropped to his feet. He might have to dance with Serena. He hadn't danced since the last disastrous Yule Ball, and he severely doubted he had developed any natural talent for dancing since then. He gulped and forced his legs to keep moving, hoping against hope that his girlfriend didn't care for ballroom.

Twenty minutes later, the boys sat at the Gryffindor table, still waiting for Hermione to make an appearance.

"You'd think that after spending all day locked up doing who knows what to herself, she'd want to actually turn up sometime." Said Ron, pursing his lips.

Harry didn't reply. He was staring around the Hall looking for Serena, but suddenly something else diverted his attention and he grabbed Ron's arm, speechless. Hermione waved at them from the doorway, before making her way over. Her gown was of deepest navy, and tiny silver stars caught the light as the fabric swayed gently around her slender figure. Her hair was no longer bushy, but hung in perfectly controlled tendrils from the back of her head, and shiny locks framed her face. Her make up was natural, but enhance her features enourmously, and she moved with a delicate yet decisive grace.

Harry and Ron stared at her, mouths open, as she sat down. "Mione, you-" began Harry, but could find no other words. "_She looks so… womanly and mature," _he thought onderingly.

"Do you think Draco will like my dress? I spent over an hour transfiguring it from one of your old socks Ron, I hope you don't mind."

"Uhh…" Ron gurgles, his mouth still hanging open.

Hermione eyed him amusedly. "Fair enough… Harry! What on earth have you done to your hair?? Come here." Harry obediently bent his head towards her and Ron watched smugly as Hermione ran her hands through it, until it sprung back into its usual untidy mop. She rolled her eyes. "You boys are hopeless. Pass me the potatoes Ron, I'm starving."

"I did try to tell you it looked awful," grinned Ron.

xXx

The next few hours passed in a hazy blur of anxiety and nerves. Harry's Christmas Feast weighed heavy in his stomach, and he glanced furtively around, dreading the sight of Serena, but wanting to see her all the same.

All too soon the tables were being moved to the sides of the Hall, and a motley crew of witches and wizards in the latest fashions arrived and began setting up a band on a raised platform. Harry shrank into a corner, wanting to disappear from the world entirely. Hermione had disappeared with Draco, and only Ron remained to offer him silent support. He put his hand in his pocket and felt the small box in there, to remind himself why he had turned up to the Feast.

Music began to play. Harry's intestines tied themselves in knots as he waited for Serena to find him, and humiliate him utterly on the dance floor. But she didn't com. Half an hour passed and there was still no sign of her. Harry started to breathe again as he sat looking out of the window, but the sound of soft footsteps approaching made him turn his head slowly. "_Please, please let it be Hermione,"_ he prayed. He looked up into large brown eyes, and forced a smile.

"Hey Sîan."


End file.
